Iowa City man charged with sexual abuse

An Iowa City man was arrested Sunday on charges that he sexually abused a woman in his car after offering to give her a ride.

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Ramiro Gutierrez, 36, is charged with third-degree sexual abuse. According to a criminal complaint, he offered to give a woman a ride on March 6, 2025, but started driving in the wrong direction after she got in the car.

The woman asked to get out of the car, but Gutierrez ignored her and grabbed her hand, forcing her to touch him inappropriately. He eventually stopped the car and sexually assaulted her, the complaint states.

A warrant was issued for Gutierrez’s arrest on the sexual abuse charge on Dec. 17. Another arrest warrant was already active against him, having been issued on Nov. 21 for a charge of third-degree domestic abuse assault.

According to a criminal complaint on that charge, police responded to a domestic disturbance in Tiffin on Nov. 19 and learned from witnesses that Gutierrez had grabbed a woman by the arm to force her to stay inside during an argument. The woman — a different woman than the victim in the sexual abuse case — told police there was a long history of physical abuse in their relationship.

Gutierrez was arrested on both warrants on Sunday, and had an initial appearance in court on Monday. He is being held in the Johnson County Jail on bonds totaling $30,000. No contact orders have been filed on behalf of both victims.

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